Course Description

As dental hygiene educators, whether teaching in the classroom, online, or in clinic, we are

tasked with constantly making decisions that affect our students, their patients, and the

institutions of higher learning that we work for. The effects of the pandemic have irrevocably

changed how we teach, and the demands of our jobs have caused many of us to feel

overworked and overwhelmed. We are burned out.

This course is part of the ProfessorRDH FREE webinar series! Our goal is to bring you exciting and helpful content every month to help support you in your journey as an educator. Learn more about upcoming events at www.professorrdh.com/pages/free-ceu


Course Objectives

  • Define and compare Stress and Burnout

  • Describe the physiological effects of Burnout

  • Analyze external and internal factors which contribute to Burnout

  • Define mindfulness and connect its benefits to preventing Stress and Burnout

  • Apply mindfulness practices that support stress management

Presented by:

Debi Sparks

Debi Sparks, RDH, MMTCP, MAEd, is a Registered Dental Hygienist, holds a master’s degree in Contemplative Education, and is a certified Mindfulness Meditation teacher. She is the dental hygiene program director at Mesa Community College where she utilizes mindfulness practices to support student success and is a wellness educator for the city of Tempe, Arizona. Debi is proud to have the roots of her educational journey at Foothill Community College in the California bay area and understands how a community college education can change lives. Having worked in private practice while raising a family, she completed her bachelor’s degree at Northern Arizona University and eventually earned a master’s degree from Naropa University in Boulder, Colorado. Naropa University’s focus on mindfulness-based teaching and learning led her to completing a two-year certificate as a mindfulness mediation teacher in a program developed in partnership with the University of California at Berkeley’s Greater Good Science Center. Debi believes that using mindfulness to create small shifts in the way we interpret the world around us can have a powerful impact on our personal and professional wellbeing.